About 400 years before Christ, the philosopher
Plato contributed this now familiar allegory. Imagine a group of people seated
in a dark cave chained down in such a way that they can look only in one
direction, toward one wall of the cave. Several yards behind them is an open
fire, providing light. Between the fire and where they are sitting is a raised
runway along which forms move, casting their shadows upon the wall. The people,
chained so that they must face the wall, cannot see the fire or the forms, but
only the shadows of the forms. If these shackled people were confined to this
view for their entire lives, we can expect them to believe that the shadows are
real creatures. Not knowing anything else, having no three dimensional beings
to use for comparisons, these prisoners in the cave would believe that the
shadows were the real thing.
Now imagine that the prisoners are unchained and
can turn around to see the fire and the forms which have produced the shadows.
Certainly, they would readjust their ideas of reality to fit their new view.
Moving about the cave, they begin to get a sense of the three-dimensional
make-up of their environment. They conclude that they had been previously
fooled, and that NOW they know what true reality is!
But, then imagine that they are led from the
cave into the brilliance of a noonday sun outside. Wouldn't they turn away in
complete bewilderment, not wishing to face true reality, not wanting to
acknowledge that their beliefs as shackled prisoners were mistaken? Wouldn't
they retreat to their cave, preferring its more familiar surroundings to the
amazing world of space and sunlight?
You and I are familiar with the sad consequences
for women, men, and children merely existing in their caves. We know of such
people driven by greed, individuals addicted to substances and toxic
relationships, as well as human beings motivated by envy or vengeance. However,
this morning let us focus only on those people existing in murky caverns of
imprisoning religion.
A few years ago, when I met a man who rather
quickly identified himself as a Christian, I cringed. When he said "Christian,"
several thoughts went through my mind: bigot, arrogant, mindless, intolerant,
rigid, mean-spirited, and, how can I get out of this conversation quickly!
Surprisingly, we had a brief but enjoyable chat. Subsequently, I was very aware
of my initial reaction to his self-classification as a Christian, and I gave
some thought to the many types of individuals and groups categorizing
themselves as Christian. Think of it for a moment! The medieval Crusaders who
terrorized Jerusalem during their so-called "holy" wars were Christians. Slave
owners included Christians. For the most part, Nazis were (and are) Christians.
Ku Klux Klan members are often "devoted" Christians. Some crime families are
made up of Christians (who seem to have grand church weddings and funerals).
Some cult-like congregations are Christian. Extremist, pro-life terrorists
include Christians. Corrupt television ministers and sexually abusive clergy
are Christians. Much of the bombing of buildings and other horrific activities
carried on in Ireland, England, Bosnia and elsewhere are by Christians.
Christians continue to distort findings from scientists, including fellow
Christians Copernicus, Darwin, Galileo, and their successors. Hate groups and
youth gangs include large Christian memberships. Some militant, uninformed, and
cold-hearted men and women are smug, Bible-quoting Christians (eagerly courted
by extremist public figures). Ironically, many anti-Jewish individuals and
associations that would exclude Jesus himself identify themselves as Christian.
Some Christians live within a religious delusional system with invisible chums,
including a genie-like God, at their beckon call. I suspect that Plato would
agree that many Christians exist in pitiful caves!
A youth asked Plato's teacher Socrates for the
way to enlightenment. "How badly do you want to be enlightened?" Socrates
asked. "More than anything in the world" was the reply. Socrates took the
youngster to a lake into which they waded neck-high. Then Socrates pushed the
juvenile's head under the water. The youngster struggled desperately, but
Socrates kept pushing until the youth was on the verge of drowning. When they
returned to the shore, Socrates asked, "When you were under the water, what did
you want more than anything else in the world?" "Air!" was the firm response.
Socrates explained, "When you want to be enlightened as much as you wanted air,
then you will be shown the way."
How many modern Christians have wanted the Light
of Christ more than anything else in the world, yes, as much as the air we
require to breathe? With no compelling sense of need, most of us underwent
nebulous Baptisms and Confirmations unaware of the Sacraments' implications for
our personal identity and daily living. With little or no understanding or
commitment, the general public as well as many on the rolls of our British and
American congregations perceive Christ's Church, Sacraments, and pastoral care
as public resources that everyone has an inalienable right to hire now and
then. When clergy acquiesce (as I have and as I suspect most of us have), we
breach the Discipline we vow at our ordinations; we promote an inclusivity
already gone awry, and then we all wonder why so little dedication is evident
in the religion we sell almost for the asking. We have not made it clear that
the Church is not just another entitlement program. Furthermore, many of us -
ordained and lay - stagnate, oblivious to our continuing need for illumination
in the Light of Christ! Some Christians prefer to live entombed while staring
at the walls of their candlelit mausoleums. They believe self-righteously and
mistakenly that they are already fully enlightened and genuinely alive.
Regrettably, the label "Christian" does not convey much about anyone's vitality
or comprehension of the Faith.
Yet, should any Christians claim to be
completely unshackled from their tombs? Do any of us possess a perfect vision
of God's Light? In the spirit of the Lenten season, let us explore how deeply
we live within our own recesses by meditating on some soul-searching questions:
Do I measure my beliefs in the light of Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and
ongoing corporate experience, or am I addicted to my own private - perhaps
underdeveloped - convictions? Is my faith life-giving, or is it stultifying?
When new secular wisdom illuminates the human journey, do I grow in Christ's
love and service, or am I paralyzed by my simplistic certainties? Is my faith
down to earth like Christ's, or does it resemble a Disney fantasyland? As much
as I am enabled, do I live out my baptism with integrity, or do I bend with the
wind? Does my faith involve personal initiatives and responsibilities, or do I
expect God to do it all? Does worship invigorate my life, or do I misuse prayer
as a refuge for inaction? Do I have an appropriate commitment to the Church as
the household of Faith, or is the Church simply to use now and then as a public
utility, perhaps with a token gratuity extended? Does my faith celebrate
responsible human diversity, or do I censure most everyone different from
myself? Is my trust in God unconditional, or does my faith depend on things
going well for me? With true repentance, do I trust in God's mercy and
absolution, or does my faith promote excessive guilt in which I wallow? Do I
worship only the Sovereign Lord God of Creation, or do I idolize pious customs,
the bare words of the Bible or of the Prayer Book? Does my faith express an
Easter joy that heals inevitable sorrows, or do I endlessly indulge in petulant
dejection? Are my heart and mind open to the beckoning Light at the end of the
tunnel, the nudging of the Holy Spirit, the evolution of human insight and
fellowship, or, do I merely gaze upon the shadows of my own crypt?
It is sad that many Christians barely detect the
radiant Light of Christ. With shortsighted and confining faith, too many of us
remain shackled and entombed in a deathlike, spiritual slumber within our own
cramped caves. However, just as Lazarus was raised from lifelessness, all of us
can be delivered from desolation and diminished realities.
My fellow pilgrims, listen again to Christ's
appeal to Lazarus and to us to come out of our many tombs and live in
increasing Light! If we but choose to respond to God's life-giving grace,
you and I can awaken further to embrace the challenging, animating Gospel of
Christ - where true reality and joys are found. The graceful nurturing of our
hearts and minds in this vibrant Faith is God's ongoing gift to us as we pray,
learn, serve, and enjoy fellowship in this beloved House of Healing-by-the-Sea:
this - our diverse, celebrating community touched daily by God's Spirit and by
each other. Amen.